"The Stand" (1994) TV mini-series

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

8 May 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

The end of the world is just the beginning.

Plot:

After the world is decimated by a man-made plague, a battle of literally Biblical proportions ensues between the survivors.

Plot Keywords:

Virus | Population | Plague | Old Woman | Mute

Awards:

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Gary Sinise	...	Stu Redman (4 episodes, 1994)
Molly Ringwald	...	Frannie Goldsmith (4 episodes, 1994)
Jamey Sheridan	...	Randall Flagg (4 episodes, 1994)
Ruby Dee	...	Mother Abigail Freemantle (4 episodes, 1994)
Miguel Ferrer	...	Lloyd Henreid (4 episodes, 1994)
Corin Nemec	...	Harold Lauder (4 episodes, 1994)
Adam Storke	...	Larry Underwood (4 episodes, 1994)
Rob Lowe	...	Nick Andros (4 episodes, 1994)
Laura San Giacomo	...	Nadine Cross (3 episodes, 1994)
Ossie Davis	...	Judge Richard Farris (3 episodes, 1994)
Matt Frewer	...	Trashcan Man (3 episodes, 1994)
Ray Walston	...	Glen Bateman (3 episodes, 1994)
Rick Aviles	...	Rat Man (3 episodes, 1994)
Peter Van Norden	...	Ralph Brentner (3 episodes, 1994)
Bridgit Ryan	...	Lucy Swann (3 episodes, 1994)
Kellie Overbey	...	Dayna Jurgens (3 episodes, 1994)
Chuck Adamson	...	Barry Dorgan (3 episodes, 1994)
Sam Anderson	...	Whitney Horgan (3 episodes, 1994)
Cynthia Garris	...	Susan Stern (3 episodes, 1994)
Billy L. Sullivan	...	Joe (3 episodes, 1994)
Bill Fagerbakke	...	Tom Cullen (2 episodes, 1994)
Shawnee Smith	...	Julie Lawry (2 episodes, 1994)
Warren Frost	...	George Richardson (2 episodes, 1994)
Tom Holland	...	Carl Hough (2 episodes, 1994)
Stephen King	...	Teddy Weizak (2 episodes, 1994)
Sarah Schaub	...	Gina McCone (2 episodes, 1994)
Bruce MacVittie	...	Ace-High (2 episodes, 1994)
Dan Martin	...	Rich Moffat (2 episodes, 1994)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	...	Monster Shouter / ... (2 episodes, 1994)

Also Known As:

Stephen King's The Stand

Runtime:

366 min | USA:359 min (DVD version) | 60 min (6 episodes) | Germany:345 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 | Australia:M | Germany:16 | UK:15 | USA:Unrated | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Boulder, Colorado, USA

Company:

Greengrass Productions

Trivia:

The Las Vegas casino/hotel where Randall Flagg and his minions stay is a redress of "Biff's" casino/hotel in the alternate 1985 time line from Back to the Future Part II (1989).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: While the Monster Shouter is shown "dead" on the steps in Central Park, he can clearly be seen blinking.

Movie Connections:

References "Kojak" (1973)

Soundtrack:

BABY CAN U DIG YOUR MAN

An ambitious re-telling of King's novel, competently though not brilliantly done

If you take a work of fiction from an intensely popular writer like Stephen King and produce a sweeping mini-series from it, you're bound to polarise opinion among devout fans. My guess is that King readers will either love or hate The Stand, and the comments on IMDb seem to reflect this; the reason for such division is that we all cast, produce and direct our own little mini-series in our grey matter, every time we read a novel, and when someone else's interpretation doesn't match ours we get catty and irascible. Personally I liked it: I thought it followed the text well, adhering to the key elements of the narrative and giving the right characters emphasis. There was some casting I didn't agree with - Ray Walston and the obviously mentally-competent Tom Cullen particularly - but in such an epic production you can't have everything, so I'm not quibbling.

The Stand is basically a New Testament for the 20th century, a kind of neo-Revelations. The only catch this time is that we don't get another visit from Christ, we have to help ourselves (some have argued that Stu Redmond is the Messiah in this one, but it's unlikely). A plague has decimated society and two camps have formed: one in Colorado, and one in the gambling capital of the world, Las Vegas, under the governance of a certain Randall Flagg, who has a propensity for denim, rough sex and the odd demonic face-morph. As people gravitate to one side or the other, it becomes apparent that the Las Vegans intend nuking the Colorado camp, so a covert battle is waged to decide once and for all who will inherit the Earth - the meek, or the Nevadans. The ending is not unexpected but there are twists and shocks along the way.

I think where The Stand really succeeds is in its first hour or so, telling the story of the plague (the 'superflu' or 'Captain Tripps') and how the population is reduced to a mere few thousand. There is a palpable feeling of despair, doom and grief in this part of the movie that you don't often find in end-of-the-world films - witness the scenes with Larry's mother and Fran's father, for example. When it's over and the disease has run its course, the on-screen world does indeed feel incredibly *empty* - you feel it along with the characters. The role of the military in creating and releasing the virus is portentous, and probably intentionally so. The atmosphere isn't quite matched as the programme progresses on, but it is still interesting enough to hold your attention. The cast are too numerous to mention individually, but generally they perform quite capably, each imbuing a little personal interpretation into their particular role.